The symphony's later movements refer to 'what the flowers tell me', etc; so here is what Vladimir tells me specifically about the work.

"It was one of the first Mahler symphonies I got to know. I remember I was immediately seized by the sheer natural force of its expression and the incredible breadth of the emotions it induces. It is the happiest of Mahler's symphonies, a moment in which man feels completely at home in this world. He doesn't feel any need to escape: the world is good enough, and it is deep and inexplicable enough to spend one's lifetime living in it, enjoying it and being forever stunned by its multifaceted nature."

UPDATE: Reeling too from the very sad news that the composer Geoffrey Burgon has died, aged 69. He was especially noted for his film music, which extended to Brideshead Revisited and Monty Python's Life of Brian, but I well remember his excellent piano concerto, which I once went all the way to Singapore to cover.

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About Jessica Duchen

Jessica Duchen is a music journalist and the author of four novels, two biographies and several stage works. She writes regularly for The Independent and BBC Music Magazine. Her latest novel, Songs of Triumphant Love, is published by Hodder.